NBA referee Che Flores makes history as the first out trans non-binary official in US pro sports
NBA referee Che Flores has made LGBTQIA+ history as the first openly trans and non-binary ref in American pro sports. The sports official – who uses they/them pronouns – announced the exciting news in their immersive feature for GQ. “When I started refereeing, you had to look a certain way.
This is the first time I’m comfortable expressing myself through my own fashion and not having to worry about it. I feel one hundred percent myself,” they explained. “One piece I was missing for myself was that no one knew how I identified.
Being misgendered as she/her always just felt like a little jab in the gut. I can go through the world and even my job a lot more comfortably.” Elsewhere in the feature, the veteran referee opened up about their heartwarming coming out experience with the NBA’s head of referee training and development, Monty McCutchen. “He immediately just called me Che, with no problem, which just makes you feel more comfortable and easier to let him know everything that was related to my gender,” they told the publication.
Following the heartfelt exchange, McCutchen sent their preferred pronouns and name to ref operations, which were later announced during Flores’ last game assignment. “I got a little emotional, and I’m like, ‘Dude, get with it.
